Today’s guest is one of America’s most accomplished and enduring public servants – decorated Vietnam War Veteran, 2004 Democratic Presidential Nominee, former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State, John F. Kerry.

I was blessed to have a front-row seat to watch this man in action for four years. From 2002 – 2006 I was Senator Kerry’s Domestic Policy Director in Congress and took a leave of absence from the Senate during the Presidential campaign to be the Kerry-Edwards campaign director for the State of Maryland. These were some of the most formative years of my professional career. I got to learn from one of the best.

It was wonderful to reunite with my friend, mentor, former boss, and one of my political heroes to engage in a Soul Force Politics dialogue for our listening community. If you have not yet read his new memoir, “Every Day is Extra,” I highly recommend you pick up or download a copy of this fascinating story of his life of service. We walk through some of my favorite portions of the book in this podcast episode.

Join us for this lively conversation about the global threat of climate change; war-time lessons about life, death, and government betrayal; a warm review of a surprising bipartisan friendship that came from speaking truth in a Senate prayer breakfast; a rewind to the 1996 clash of the titans in Kerry v. Weld and their ground-breaking campaign finance agreement; and thoughts about regaining America’s standing on the world stage.

Melissa Etheridge will join Heather Mizeur to conduct one of two #SoulForcePolitics workshops on the upcoming Caribbean cruise scheduled for March 31-April 7. Details for the event can be found here.

]]>2001MizMaryland unveils new organization logo and identity: Soul Force Politicshttp://www.soulforcepolitics.org/mizmaryland-changes-name-soul-force-politics/
Fri, 01 Feb 2019 19:35:04 +0000https://www.mizmaryland.org/?p=1956At it’s June meeting, the Board of Directors for MizMaryland, Inc. voted to change the name of the organization from MizMaryland | Soul Force Politics to simply Soul Force Politics in recognition of the now national reach of the organization and its work.

Today, Soul Force Politics released an updated version of its organizational logo and revised website at www.soulforcepolitics.org

The organization will continue to operate legally as MizMaryland, Inc. while doing business as Soul Force Politics.

In this episode, our host, Heather Mizeur, shares her reflections on the lessons emerging from the national debate that was stirred from the standoff between the Covington Catholic teens and a Native American drummer at the Lincoln Memorial following the Indigenous People’s March on January 18th. “Rather than engaging in an exercise of finger-pointing and assigning blame over whose version of what happened is ‘truth,’ it might serve us better to focus on what this moment teaches us. There are some rich lessons here for all of us, should we choose to open ourselves to the opportunity.”

We all have a little something to learn from the standoff between the teens from Covington Catholic High School and the Native American drummer, Nathan Phillips, who collided into our national consciousness after an incident at the Lincoln Memorial at the conclusion of the Indigenous Peoples March last weekend.

Depending on which lens you use to see the world, your perspective of this situation probably falls into one of these camps.

Either: Mouthy white boys in MAGA hats. Little Brett Kavanaughs. The #MeToo movement, a p****-grabbing President, families separated at the border, children in cages and dying in immigration custody, a government shutdown over funding for building a xenophobic wall at our Southern border – it all clashes together in this moment of collective outrage at the additional sight of smug, mocking teens disrespecting a Native American elder with tomahawk chops and the smirks of privilege – and doing so wearing the regalia of a modern day racist.

Or: Fake media and Hollywood liberals. Always looking to instigate hate against President Trump and any of his supporters. Death threats and shaming of CHILDREN. Manipulating the image to serve their talking points. It’s easy to beat up on rural America – especially if these Kentucky kids had the audacity to come to DC to March For Life. The most endangered species right now is the white Christian male.

Can we stop for a minute? Can we step back from these interpretations and rigid constructions of what happened to admit that most of us will never actually know because we were not there?

Rather than engaging in an exercise of finger-pointing and assigning blame over whose version of what happened is “truth,” it might serve us better to focus on what this moment teaches us.

There are some rich lessons here for all of us, should we choose to open ourselves to the opportunity.

Lesson No. 1: The power of the pause

Lesson No. 2: There is a bully inside each of us

Lesson No. 3: Everything is fake (not just the media!)

Lesson No. 4: The danger of fixed views

Lesson No. 5: We are called to be lions and lambs

Lesson No. 6: There is no “us” and “them”

Heather R. Mizeur is the CEO + Founder of Soul Force Politics, a non-profit organization that asks the question “How would our world be different if politics were rooted in radical love?” She can be reached at heather@mizmaryland.org

]]>1894S2E2 — Sister Helen Prejean: Infusing Our Criminal Justice System With Radical Lovehttp://www.soulforcepolitics.org/s2e2-sister-helen-prejean/
Thu, 10 Jan 2019 18:03:42 +0000https://www.mizmaryland.org/?p=1874Sister Helen Prejean, the spitfire Catholic nun internationally known for her work as a death penalty repeal advocate and author of the bestselling book, “Dead Man Walking,” joins Heather Mizeur for a #SoulForcePolitics conversation about mass incarceration, restorative justice, state executions, revenge, forgiveness, the grace of awakening, and the deep responsibility we have to take action and speak truth when we bear witness to injustice. These lessons are beautifully told in her upcoming memoir, “River of Fire,” which she previews for us here.

]]>Sister Helen Prejean, the spitfire Catholic nun internationally known for her work as a death penalty repeal advocate and author of the bestselling book, “Dead Man Walking,” joins Heather Mizeur for a #SoulForcePolitics conversation about mass incarcer...
Sister Helen Prejean, the spitfire Catholic nun internationally known for her work as a death penalty repeal advocate and author of the bestselling book, “Dead Man Walking,” joins Heather Mizeur for a #SoulForcePolitics conversation about mass incarceration, restorative justice, state executions, revenge, forgiveness, the grace of awakening, and the deep responsibility we have to take action and speak truth when we bear witness to injustice. These lessons are beautifully told in her upcoming memoir, “River of Fire,” which she previews for us here.

Watch the preview of the new documentary, “Sister,” about Helen Prjean’s life and work

We invited our supporters to join us at Apotheosis Farm for a Camp Soul Force Politics retreat to explore the legacy teachings from Standing Rock and to consider how the world would be different if we radically loved our planet.

On the weekend of October 13th and 14th, we were thrilled to kick off a long-standing vision to host Camp Soul Force Politics retreats at Apotheosis Farm.

The intent of our first retreat was to foster a dialogue on timely topics inspired by the courageous acts of civil disobedience undertaken by water protectors at Standing Rock against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). From the very launch of this organization, it has been my desire to use the legacy teachings from Standing Rock as a roadmap for civic engagement in these challenging and turbulent political times.

For this special engagement, Soul Force Politics was honored to host Paulette Moore, an indigenous filmmaker who documents these experiences in her newest film, “The Eagle and The Condor: From Standing Rock With Love.” This film informed and inspired our conversations and encouraged us to explore what it means to radically love our planet; how indigenous ceremonies help us heal ourselves and the world; and how these teachings can instruct our best advocacy today.

One of the most poignant moments of the weekend was when the participants turned the original question around for us to consider, “How would WE be different if we knew the PLANET radically loved US?” This was a perfect reflection point for us to take into our art project, an opportunity to use Soul Collage techniques to make personal collage cards that reflect “who you are, what you love, your values, dreams, and memories.” The entire weekend was full of beauty, challenging and inspiring dialogue and calls to action, and ceremonial connection to the each other, the land, our ancestors, and the water.

Our participants were forever changed by their engagement in this work. We hope you will plan to join us for a future retreat in 2019!

TESTIMONIALS

“Looking for a respite and retreat space to refuel your soul and refill your heart? I highly recommend Soul Force Politics. Heather and Deborah have created a space that attracts special folks and provide food for body and spirit. The inaugural retreat was well planned and smoothly run with lots of listening, learning, and laughter together, as well as smiles, sharing, and an environment that invited us all to sit down and stay a spell. Apotheosis Farm is magical.”

— Tammy V.

— Mark P.

“During Camp Soul Force Politics…I was taken by the easy flow of time, sharing, and laughter with people I’d never met before. It is obvious a thread created by our hosts entwined us all to share the important human qualities that were so beautifully expressed in Ms. Moore’s film. I hope they will continue their important and heartfelt work.”

— Pam W.

“Thank you for a profoundly centering experience. Thanks to all who made this possible. What a privilege it is to be with those looking at the world with eyes wide open, and moving forward with a shared vision of connectedness. We are all one. I feel clearer about my own purpose and how to have my work in the world come from that place.”

— Laura N.

Top Left: Paulette and Heather lead post-movie discussion

Right: Partial Group Photo at the end of the Weekend (Why didn’t we remember to do this first?!)

Bottom Left: Heather and Paulette gathering during a tea break

We were unsure how the invitation to join this dialogue would be received. Would people want to come to the farm? Would this topic resonate? Much to our pleasant surprise, the retreat sold out within a couple days of the announcement! We are already working on a robust and exciting retreat schedule for 2019. Come join us!

“How would the world be different if politics were rooted in radical love?” In this kick off to Season 2 of the #SoulForcePolitics podcast, join Grammy and Oscar award-winning rock star Melissa Etheridge and our host, Heather Mizeur, for an in-depth discussion on how radical love can change politics as usual.

Radical love is the medicine for these times. As we encounter so much overwhelming violence and darkness, our pledge must not be to “fight” it, but rather smother it with unconditional love. From the words and behavior of our President all the way down to the domestic terrorists sending pipe bombs in the mail and opening gun fire in places of worship, what we are witnessing is the grotesque darkness that comes from a lack of love. When I say that I want nothing more than to hold each of these men in my arms and to cloak them in the embrace of unconditional love, you might call me crazy. But in recoiling at that thought, you get a sense of its power. Love is not weakness. It’s the mightiest strength in the world and it is the only thing that will change how we are choosing to witness our human experience.

It is possible to stand against these heinous behaviors and mourn the victims, the loss, the suffering, and the senseless acts of violence while simultaneously offering compassion and radically open hearts to shift the behaviors of those inflicting their pain on us.

We have to see ourselves in the other. We are the migrant in the caravan seeking a better life. We are the Jew at Synagogue worshiping Yahweh. We are the Arab journalist risking everything for the cause of freedom. We are the brave women speaking our truth and refusing to be victims to sexual violence. We are the innocent black man who is shot first and asked questions later. AND we are also the bully inside of Trump; the child who was taught fear and hate; the scared man that blames his hopelessness on the division he perceives in the difference of others. We are all one, and from that place of connection we can find our compassion for the struggle and our answer through love. Mighty, blessed, powerful, unconditional love.

So when these events taunt us to respond with our own darkness, we see a different choice to use our light. Our light will set the path for peace, reconciliation, and transformation. It is the way.

We end our first season of #SoulForcePolitics with the release of a special two-part series dedicated to exploring the healing power of love to conquer hate in the aftermath of the tragedy at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando.

Two years ago this week, forty-nine souls were violently and unexpectedly taken from us as they were on the dance floor shining their light, loving life, and celebrating LGBT Pride. The darkness that filled the hours after this vile attack was almost too much for many to bear. And then Melissa Etheridge came in to help us heal a little bit. She immediately wrote and recorded the song “Pulse,” which remains a powerful reminder of how and why we are all called to love one another. Melissa joins us for a brief interview as part of our #SoulForcePolitics podcast tribute to Pulse survivors, families of the victims, and the Orlando alliance that formed after this tragedy.

I went to Orlando to meet and hear the stories of Barbara Poma, Pulse Nightclub owner and founder of the One Pulse Foundation; Víco Baéz Febo, one of the survivors of this heinous hate crime whose emotional wisdom is medicine for weary souls; Mayra Benabe-Alvear, the strong, big-hearted, and remarkably joyful mother of victim Amanda Alvear; and Robin Maynard-Harris, community activist and a founding board member at the One Orlando Alliance. From this wonderful weekend together, I have curated a unique story of insight told through their woven and interrelated experiences. Through it all, is a story of the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love to rise above everything. Love always wins.

In a time when so much of the news and focus is on the negativity and the poisoned relationships around us, this podcast can be your refuge for how to defeat it with a connection to all that is beautiful and positive in this world.

So stick with us through both episodes. You won’t want to miss a single moment. And please, honor them with action. Choose only love. Be ONE.

We end our first season of #SoulForcePolitics with the release of a special two-part series dedicated to exploring the healing power of love to conquer hate in the aftermath of the tragedy at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando.

Two years ago this week, forty-nine souls were violently and unexpectedly taken from us as they were on the dance floor shining their light, loving life, and celebrating LGBT Pride. The darkness that filled the hours after this vile attack was almost too much for many to bear. And then Melissa Etheridge came in to help us heal a little bit. She immediately wrote and recorded the song “Pulse,” which remains a powerful reminder of how and why we are all called to love one another. Melissa joins us for a brief interview as part of our #SoulForcePolitics podcast tribute to Pulse survivors, families of the victims, and the Orlando alliance that formed after this tragedy.

I went to Orlando to meet and hear the stories of Barbara Poma, Pulse Nightclub owner and founder of the One Pulse Foundation; Víco Baéz Febo, one of the survivors of this heinous hate crime whose emotional wisdom is medicine for weary souls; Mayra Benabe-Alvear, the strong, big-hearted, and remarkably joyful mother of victim Amanda Alvear; and Robin Maynard-Harris, community activist and a founding board member at the One Orlando Alliance. From this wonderful weekend together, I have curated a unique story of insight told through their woven and interrelated experiences. Through it all, is a story of the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love to rise above everything. Love always wins.

In a time when so much of the news and focus is on the negativity and the poisoned relationships around us, this podcast can be your refuge for how to defeat it with a connection to all that is beautiful and positive in this world.

So stick with us through both episodes. You won’t want to miss a single moment. And please, honor them with action. Choose only love. Be ONE.

Today’s guest is one of the great humanitarians of our time — Chef José Andrés. He isn’t only a famous celebrity chef with amazing top-tier restaurants to satisfy your culinary desires. He is also leader of the World Central Kitchen, a non-profit organization that has fed millions in the wake of disasters that range from earthquakes in Haiti and hurricanes in Puerto Rico to wildfires in California and volcanic eruptions on the Hawaii islands and just this week in Guatemala.

He told me that the first book he read in English was John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and he was particularly moved by a quote from the book that “Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there.”

José Andrés is always there.

He has a simple belief and powerful understanding of the role that food can play as a change agent. Born in Spain, Chef Andrés is a New American that exudes our nation’s can-do spirit and the knowledge that we are strongest in our unity together — we, the people, can do anything united!

Thanks for listening, and I hope that you will be inspired by José Andrés’ words, his work, and his belief that just by merely showing up with a big and open heart to serve your neighbor, you, too, can make a huge difference in this world.

His heart was in charge, and it led him to personally witness and uplift the despair, hopes, and dreams of America’s unfinished business in forgotten pockets of the nation – from Native American reservations to the fields of migrant farmworkers; from urban blight to rural hunger. Bobby Kennedy reflected the consciousness of our best selves.

He practiced Soul Force Politics.

50 years ago we lost Bobby Kennedy to an assassin’s bullet when he was shot after winning the Democratic presidential primary in California on June 5th, 1968. Fortunately, words themselves never die. And in his book, “RFK: His Words for Our Times,” author C. Richard Allen collects, edits, and introduces us to the core of Robert Kennedy’s work through the use of his own words from testimony and speeches Kennedy gave in his short but profound career in public service.

In today’s show, we speak with Rick Allen about this book, Bobby Kennedy’s life and contributions to public policy, political thought, and the imagination of what can still be accomplished to live up to our country’s greatest calling – the belief that we can always aspire to be a better, more perfect union where equality and justice for all are the cornerstones of our democracy.

Thanks for listening and I hope that you will be inspired to read this incredible book and find the Bobby Kennedy that resides in your own heart’s desire to act for good in the world. RFK’s words are most definitely a timeless call to action and we need his wise guidance now more than ever.

Today’s show connects you to two extraordinary, transcendental artists that are world-renowned pioneers in showcasing the exploration of consciousness and use of psychedelics to influence the visionary art realm and the expression of the sacred. I go to New York’s COSM — Chapel of the Sacred Mirrors – to interview Alex and Allyson Grey in their personal art studios.

You truly must have a sense of their art to fully appreciate this interview. This is where the limitations of audio production can be challenging – so be sure to capture at least a passing view of a few pieces of their artwork that we have showcased on our website and/or the MizMaryland Facebook and Instagram pages.

Beyond the appreciation of Alex and Allyson’s other-worldly artistic talents, I have always perhaps most loved our conversations about consciousness, connection, and explorations of the sacred realms. Their views are very much in alignment with our mission at #SoulForcePolitics.

And a basic warning I should offer with this episode. We engage in an open-minded discussion of the impact that psychedelic medicines have had on the Greys in forming mystical experiences that have had a deep impact on their visionary artistic expression and world-view. I am aware that this can be a controversial topic for some listeners. I invite you to be open to a different perspective, as I have had my own shift in understanding how these medicines might be beneficial to some if undertaken with the right intention and under responsible guidance.

So it’s time for us to start having this dialogue more openly in our communities. Artists and other creatives are often on the front-lines of helping us explore the unknown.

Thanks for listening and I hope that Alex and Allyson and I will open up new inspiration for you to be more creative, more revolutionary, and more willing to explore the depths of your own consciousness and sacred connections as a result of our conversation.

]]>Today’s show connects you to two extraordinary, transcendental artists that are world-renowned pioneers in showcasing the exploration of consciousness and use of psychedelics to influence the visionary art realm and the expression of the sacred.Today’s show connects you to two extraordinary, transcendental artists that are world-renowned pioneers in showcasing the exploration of consciousness and use of psychedelics to influence the visionary art realm and the expression of the sacred. I go to...MizMarylandclean59:011641024 — Warren Berger, author of “A More Beautiful Question”http://www.soulforcepolitics.org/024-warren-berger/
Wed, 09 May 2018 20:27:58 +0000http://mizmaryland.org/?p=1626

Today’s guest is former New York Times journalist Warren Berger, the author of the provocative book, “A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas.” Explore with us the power behind one of the most underappreciated tools – one that has been available to us since childhood – the art of asking meaningful questions to ignite change and unleash innovation and creative mastery.

Do you have the courage to ask good questions of yourself and others? Are you willing to subject your bias to interrogation? Should your organization have a Mission Question rather than a Mission Statement? Most of us are quite familiar with the concept of brainstorming. What are the benefits of questionstorming?

Why? What if? How? – these are the tools of 21st Century excellence.

“How might we” is a beautiful invitation that successful leaders are incorporating into their philosophies of exploration. The value of questions is rising in our culture faster than the value of answers. Are you ready for this cultural shift?

Join us for today’s conversation to learn how you can use questioning to create your own shifts in politics, consciousness, and community engagement for a better world.

]]>Today’s guest is former New York Times journalist Warren Berger, the author of the provocative book, “A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas.” Explore with us the power behind one of the most underappreciated tools ...Today’s guest is former New York Times journalist Warren Berger, the author of the provocative book, “A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas.” Explore with us the power behind one of the most underappreciated tools –...MizMarylandclean59:131626023 — Jennifer Hofmann: Inspired Activism from Americans of Conscience Checklisthttp://www.soulforcepolitics.org/023-jennifer-hofmann/
Wed, 02 May 2018 16:55:07 +0000http://mizmaryland.org/?p=1615

Today’s guest is Jennifer Hofmann, author of the super-popular Americans of Conscience Checklist, which provides her 70,000 online followers with a weekly advocacy list of clear actions to address the undermining of core values by decisions at the local, state, and federal levels of government. Jennifer Hoffmann’s unique approach promotes heartfelt engagement in the work of the Resistance without amplifying polarization. Her lists are free from partisan hype, insults, and vilification. Rather, she combines no-frills policy guidance with a reminder of the importance of self care, promoting gratitude, and noticing evidence of good in the world. Jennifer joins us from Salem, Oregon via our first experiment with a Skype-Studio recorded interview. Stick with us for a mind-meld with a fellow progressive activist and a supporter of thoughtful civic engagement to strengthen our Democracy.

Click on the Liberty icon to get linked to the Americans of Conscience Checklist

Read Yes! Magazine’s profile of Jennifer Hofmann’s work with the Americans of Conscience Checklist

Dr. Freeman Hrabowski is the President of the University of Maryland Baltimore County – a college that made history during this year’s March Madness by being the first #16 seed to knock off a top-ranked #1 team in the history of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

We talk about what it’s like to truly be a Cinderella story – including the bright light it brings to shine on UMBC’s stellar academic record and unique approach to higher education, especially in STEM subjects and for minority students; their dedication to civic engagement on campus; and why the school calls itself “The House of Grit.”

We also get a deeper understanding of the impact that Martin Luther King, Jr.’s teachings and engagement had on the life of young Birmingham Alabaman, Freeman Hrabowski.

As a participant in King’s Children’s March in 1963 which sponsored noble acts of non-violent protest that brought the city of Birmingham to its knees, Hrabowski was spat on and jailed by Bull Connor and visited by Martin Luther King at the tender age of 12.

Join us this hour to discuss these topics and more – like the importance of curiosity, asking beautiful questions, and using critical thinking while also embracing a beginner’s mind at everything we do to find our pathways to success.

Today’s guest is a truly remarkable genius, tenacious innovator, and creative problem solver. She also happens to be one of the kindest, most generous, and caring humans I have met. If you have never heard Martine Rothblatt speak of the many ways she has conquered the impossible, then buckle up for a sweet ride on today’s show where we meet the blending of a genius mind with a noble heart.

Her insatiable curiosity has produced everything from satellite radio and life-saving pharmaceuticals to improved lung transplantation techniques, development of potential pig-to-human organ transplants, to the first prototypes for electric helicopters, and building robotic cybernetic companions.

She is a futurist of the highest order – one that does not just predict; Martine Rothblatt DELIVERS.

She has a law degree, an MBA, and a PhD in medical ethics. Dr. Rothblatt is the founder and former CEO and Chairman of Sirius XM satellite radio, the founding CEO and pioneer of an orphan drug at United Therapeutics that saved the life of her own child before making millions of dollars saving the lives of others, and a futurist that tells us what she sees in the fields of artificial intelligence, mind files, and the exploration of consciousness.

Each week at the end of our show, you hear me encourage you with words that I use as my own personal daily mantra:

Be the change you want to see. Create the world you want to manifest. Break through the illusions of impossibility. Live your life’s purpose with clarity, intention, and truth.Choose only love.Be.ONE.

Martine Rothblatt encompasses all of this in the most magnificent way. Thank you for joining us today to listen to her wisdom.

______________

In the first video below, Morgan Freeman meets the robot Bina 48 on his National Geographic show, “The Story of God.” And after seeing this, Whoopi Goldberg went to interview Martine and Bina Rothblatt for a segment for ABC’s “The View.”

Martine Rothblatt was named one of the “100 Greatest Living Business Minds” by Forbes Magazine

Priscilla Renea is one of music’s freshest voices and most talented songwriters — a musical powerhouse exploding on the scene who has the ability to capture your attention through her vocals, her lyrics, her looks, AND her uncanny wisdom on how to navigate life, pivot around the barriers, meet fear with fierce truth and a heart of love, and rise above it all.

You likely know Priscilla’s work without knowing her name, as she has penned #1 smash hits for nearly every popular vocal artist in the industry. And now it is time for her to make her own mark with the debut later this summer of her new album, “Coloured.”

Just this week, Parade Magazine, in a profile about this album, notes that Priscilla Renea “triumphs on Coloured with lush vocals, infectious grooves and a way with words that is unparalleled. The maturity of her artistic vision is like a breath of fresh air.”

Parade Magazine sums up the experience of Renea’s new album by noting that, “spanning classic R&B, dark-edged country and urban-soul, Coloured is a fierce, political, and personal collection of stories that reckon with…love, heartbreak, and racial trauma.”

Yes, I want you to buy and listen to her music; but I also want you to get to know her story; her heart; and her stance for fairness in the world. Join us for a #SoulForcePolitics conversation with one of music’s most interesting new personalities, or as others in the media have noted: Priscilla Renea, “The Brain Behind Your Favorite Bangers.”

The melodious and angelic sounds of Sarah McLachlan’s voice have sold more than 40 million albums, launched a successful women’s Lilith Fair concert series, and garnered three Grammy’s and twelve JUNO awards to honor her work. McLachlan has a knack for showing people how to do well by doing good. In her “World On Fire” video, she limited the production budget to the $15 cost of the video tape and worked with the record label to donate $150,000 (the usual cost of video production) to charitable missions providing access to food and water to poor villages across the globe.

Sarah McLachlan also donated all the proceeds she received from the Lilith Fair concerts to her foundation to create the non-profit Sarah McLachlan School of Music, which provides top quality instruction at no cost for at-risk and underserved children and youth. Its tag line? Find Your Voice. We decided that was also the right name for this podcast interview as Sarah explores with us the importance of self love, kindness, and empathy mixed with the passion of a revolutionary seeking to find and stand in one’s power to change the world.

Sarah playing instruments with students from the Sarah McLachlan School of Music. She created the non-profit music school for children and youth from proceeds she received from the Lilith Fair concert series.

A movement of youth voices — led by those traumatized at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida in February — has captured the attention of the nation and is shifting consciousness on how to move the needle on gun reform in this country. By shining their light and showing their fierce bravery, these activists are giving permission and encouragement to youth across the country to do the same. I captured some of these voices at the national March For Our Lives rally in Washington, DC last weekend. Today’s podcast is entirely devoted to their wisdom. I spoke with black, brown, white, and Asian students, some with developmental and physical disabilities, from many varied socio-economic backgrounds representing communities up and down the East Coast. Though as diverse as could be, their messages were all the same — poignant, personal, emotional, driven, and hopeful…that the time for reforming our gun laws and making our schools and communities more safe is NOW.

Interviews were conducted on March 24, 2018 during the March For Our Lives national rally in Washington, D.C.

Photo credit: Louis-Marie Preau — read below for the incredible story of how this photo was captured.

Beavers are remarkable creatures. By studying the habits of their lives, we can learn how to be better humans. Their wisdom can guide us on how to “fight” with honor; how to be environmental stewards; how to work hard and play hard; and how to show fierce dedication to family.

Practically from the moment I moved to Apotheosis Farm, I began a love affair with Castor Canadensis, the North American Beaver — though our first meeting was one that would scare the daylight out of me. I went for an early-evening kayak on our creek and was thrilled to see a large beaver swimming alongside me. Occasionally, he would raise his tail and smack it on the water’s surface with a huge force of strength. Being new to farm life and the creatures I would come to love here, I had no idea at the time that this was a warning sign from the beaver who was sent from the lodge to patrol and keep predators at bay. I thought it was a cute beaver playing water tricks for me. I got out my iPhone to take a couple pictures but the beaver retreated deep under the water’s surface. It was eerily quiet for a few moments and something felt a bit ominous so I zipped my phone back in my pocket and began to paddle again. Within a flash, I was screaming bloody murder as a beaver had ramrodded the front of my kayak with his body and was on top of my vessel. My curdling voice sent the rodent scurrying back in the water, but not before he had successfully encouraged me to quickly paddle away from his lodge and head back home. I was within earshot of the farm when my wife, Deborah, heard me scream. She called out to make sure I was okay. I was somewhere between laughing, crying, and in sheer disbelief when I signaled back to her that I was fine but would have one hell of story to tell her.

When I got home that night, I devoured every bit of information I could find on the internet about my new favorite farm animal. Between my research, leisure reading, and personal observations of beaver life on the farm, I began to piece together a framework of the many ways that Castor Canadensis was teaching me how to be a better human.

In addition to my observation of beavers in nature around the farm, I devoured this amazing book that gave me tremendous insight into my ingenious friends.

How to “Fight” with Honor

In the midst of the turmoil, division, and rancor of these uncertain political times, we could all benefit from some advice on how to settle disagreements in an honorable way. What tickles to me to no end is the wisdom beavers have adopted on how to resolve disputes. As you are probably aware, the beaver’s teeth — able to down large trees — is a considerable weapon. If they chose, a beaver could fight another to the death with the power of their teeth alone. However, for the survival of the species, this would not be wise. I also like to think that the overall kindness of the beaver contributes to their evolutionary approach to fighting. Rather than attacking each other with intent to harm, the beaver instead….wait for it…seriously, this is precious…instead, they deploy a shoving match. Yep, they push each other around to show their frustration and after a few pushes, one declares the other the winner and they go back to being in collaboration together. You almost need to see it to believe it. So, here you go, one of my favorite examples of a beaver “fight”:

How to be Environmental Stewards

Beavers are known as the architects of the Earth. When Castor Canadensis decides to build its lodge, the damming of the water source creates a pond; the pond floods the terrain and brings forth a broad range of aquatic life (fish, frogs, turtles, otters, muskrats, and wading birds among others). With these changes, come complementary plant life to feed the ecosystem. For as long as beavers have access to a food supply (they love Aspen trees in particular — though on our land they chose to eat the rare Cypress as a their first course!) this cycle is sustained. But when the beaver food supply is used up, as Hope Ryden notes in Lily Pond, “the colony moves on, its forsaken dams break, and the pond drains. Then the rich mucky bottoms of what once were beaver waterworks give rise to an entirely different type of vegetation. Meadow plants take root and grow and these support a new array of animals, deer and voles and rabbits, which, in turn, become the food base for land predators, foxes, bobcats, coyotes, weasels, hawks.” The meadows that arise from the fertile soil of former beaver habitation give life to new trees. Eventually, the beavers return to recolonize. This process creates biotic succession that serves many functions. Ryden explains, “It prevents soil from becoming exhausted through overuse by any single “crop” and allows different forms of flora and fauna to have their day. It is nature’s rest-and-rotation plan, a system widely imitated by modern day agriculturalists.”

The beaver is also a dedicated recycler. There is almost nothing the beaver won’t use from a tree it has felled. First, they eat the delicious branches from the crown. The whittled bits of sticks left from their meals are used as the building blocks of their dams. They will layer over the tree trunks and upright sticks with a mud containing smaller sticks, branches, and decayed leaves.

How to Work Hard and Play Hard

You already know the term “busy beaver.” It’s a well-earned title for our hard-working friends. However, we need to be reminded that life is not — and should not — be all work, all the time. Beavers stay focused on keeping their dams free from water leaks and work like mad to repair any damages to sustain the strength of the dam and the safety of its lodge. A community of beavers must also be dedicated to storing enough food for the winter months. These are no small tasks. However, any observer of the beaver will find them readily at play in myriad ways. Their swimming games are the most hilarious. New baby kits will snuggle their yearling siblings and porpoise around them — diving under bellies, climbing onto backs and tails and generally hitching a ride any way they can. But it’s not just the young ones that play. Beavers display a youthful desire to play, relax, and have fun at all stages of life.

How to Show Fierce Dedication to Family

Castor Canadensis creates beautiful and strong family bonds. They are one of the few mammal species who are monogamous and mate for life. The yearlings take it upon themselves to actively care for, supervise, train, and mentor the baby kits. The fathers are as involved with the rearing of the babies as the mother is. The family shares close quarters in the dens of their small lodges and maintain peace and tranquility all winter long. When the season turns and it’s time to reemerge, they can be seen playing, working, resting, eating and swimming with each other in beautiful harmony. That’s not to say there isn’t the occasional sibling rivalry over a good looking branch, but as we have already learned, at most, it might escalate into a non-threatening shoving match to determine who gets the prize.

The Magical Seduction of Beavers

I’m not the only one that would do just about anything for the chance to observe a beaver in action. It turns out, these magical creatures have quite the fan club. My dedication to Castor Canadensis cannot hold a candle to the work of French photographer Louis-Marie Preau who spent FOUR YEARS patiently waiting for 2-3 hours each night on the bottom of a riverbed with snorkling gear and weights to hold him down so that he might have the opportunity to photograph a beaver bringing home a branch underwater. He finally captured this amazing shot in May of 2017.

Nature’s Cycle of Life — Saying Goodbye Is Never Easy

Living on the farm, I have the most amazing opportunity to see the wisdom of nature at work every day and the lessons it wishes to teach, if we are present to the experience. Sadly, sometimes these lessons are how to say goodbye with dignity and honor. This weekend, one of our dogs came across a dead beaver kit on our regular, twice-daily walk in the woods. I’m not sure where she found him, but it appears the little fella might have drowned (as baby kits are known to do sometimes).

The sight of this little one — his tail barely wide enough to hold him up; so much more life he had left to grow into himself — made me cry for his loss and knowing how upset his family is. However, at least this kit died in nature and not at the hand of human error. Many of our beavers get killed on Route 213 across from Urieville Lake at the dam (DRIVERS, PLEASE SLOW DOWN — ESPECIALLY IN WILDLIFE AREAS ATTACHED TO WATERWAYS!).

I gave this kit the same honorable burial I have given more than a handful of other elder beavers that have also passed on our land. I washed him of the mud and debris. I placed him on a towel to dry and prayed for him. I dug a grave and prepared it with sage, rose petals, and tobacco. I laid him to rest with cedar branches and sticks to build a lodge in heaven.

To spend five minutes with Jen Tullock is to be in stitches. She carries comedic turns-of-phrase and brilliant language choices that sear into your heart, open your mind, make you think, force you to laugh, and leaves you begging for more.

Jen isn’t just a smart and lovable comedian, though. Her serious acting credentials are stacking up to build an impressive resume. She and her ever-present co-collaborator, Hannah Utt, created, wrote, and (Hannah) directed, and starred in the mega popular Super Deluxe Original Series, “Disengaged” – the story of a lesbian couple who stumbles into a hasty engagement on the eve of the Supreme Court’s ruling that legalizes same sex marriage and the ways that decision both strengthens and tests their relationship.

Later this year, Jen Tullock and Hannah Utt will team up again to star alongside actors Alec Baldwin, Judith Light, and Ludacris in a feature film they have co-created at Sundance Labs called, “Stupid Happy.”

And soon to be released as a Netflix original movie on April 6th, Jen Tullock joins Dave Franco and Abbi Jacobson in a film titled, “6 balloons” – a story of how a family struggles to deal with a brother’s heroin addiction and the pressures to enable his need for “just one more fix.”

Listen for yourself to experience the talent and insight that oozes from one of our nation’s most promising up-and-coming LGBT artists.

Catch Jen Tullock’s latest film, “6 balloons,” on Netflix starting April 6th. Later this year, she and Hannah Utt will team up again to star alongside actors Alec Baldwin, Judith Light, and Ludacris in a feature film they have co-created at Sundance Labs called, “Stupid Happy.”

]]>MizMarylandclean55:151441016 — U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) On How To Be a Good Menschhttp://www.soulforcepolitics.org/016-us-senator-ben-cardin/
Thu, 08 Mar 2018 02:05:22 +0000http://mizmaryland.org/?p=1433

Our guest today is Maryland’s senior United States Senator, Ben Cardin. He’s often referred to around the state as, “My friend, Ben.” While he has the common man’s touch – probably one of the most humble and approachable members of the elite U.S. Senate – Ben Cardin also displays an uncommon dedication to decency, fairness, and justice all rooted in his connection with, love of, and loyalty to family and community.

His wife Myrna – herself a fixture in Maryland politics as the person who has stood by his side for 53 years – says Ben is “the best mensch she knows.” Today we learn from Senator Cardin how the roots of his faith have influenced his public service.

We ask the Senator’s advice and wisdom on how to successfully lead the resistance against the dismantling of the country we love and how best to stand up for the values we share.

So here we have it – Ben Cardin’s guide on how best to be a social justice warrior and a really good mensch.

Our guest today is one of the co-founders and guiding forces of the new Baltimore Ceasefire 365 movement which is fiercely determined to turn around the City’s homicide rates through a grassroots initiative to promote new ways of thinking and being that honor life-affirming activities and interactions, peace, and connection to each other. Baltimore Ceasefire’s successes have come from a collective consciousness that the cycle of killing CAN be broken and the power to do it lies in our OWN hands.

We are joined today by the incomparable, Erricka Bridgeford – named by the Baltimore Sun as its 2017 Marylander of the Year. Her words are laser incisions in your heart space, opening you to a deeper connection to your inner wisdom and spiritual promptings to show up in the world to make a difference. Bridgeford is a kindred spirit to Soul Force Politics, as she wields significant influence to teach others how to bring their hearts into their civic actions. I’m excited about what she will awaken in you today.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Shouldn’t EVERY DAY be about love? How perfect that today’s show is dedicated to a discussion about the philosophy of love, patriotism, politics, and social justice with a man whose life, actions, and words are the very reflection of a fierce dedication to kindness, love, and compassion. Today’s guest is a United States Senator from New Jersey, and sometimes rumored potential 2020 Democratic candidate for President, Senator Cory Booker.

What I find most compelling about this public servant — above and beyond his dedication to an array of social justice issues that make my heart sing — is his non-apologetic devotion to love and his willingness to publicly proclaim his service to a higher good. That’s much of what our conversation centers around today, as Senator Cory Booker is the walking, living, breathing definition of what I mean by the need for Soul Force Politics in our country.

Have you seen “The Great Mystery Show” featured at the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) until September 2nd of this year? “From psychics to physicists, it artfully peels away the veil of the unknown, playfully exploring mystery as that one secret power behind great art, science, and pursuit of the sacred.” My guest today is Rebecca Alban Hoffberger — the founder, director, and principal curator of AVAM. She is a force to be reckoned with. She exudes genius. It’s hard to keep up with her rapid-fire thoughts and insights; her quotes and scientific journals; her sheer joy and wonder — but what a delight to try! She opens worlds for us to explore together.

For this hour, you will be treated to a discussion between two friends about the mystery of life, the role of the sacred, what is authentic joy, how does art and politics and spirit and community all interrelate? Do you know that the human heart has taste bud receptors? What does that mean? How does that relate to any of this? Oh, you will find out!!

We end our conversation with an exploration of the seven education goals she has used to frame the vision of her work at the museum — an institution that has always been dedicated to the work of freethinking self-taught innovators.

Today’s guest is none other than the young man many are beginning to call “The next President Kennedy.” Representing the 4th Congressional District of Massachusetts is Joseph P. Kennedy III.

This year, when the Republican leadership was bent yet again on repealing Obamacare, and Speaker Paul Ryan was quoted saying that it was “an act of mercy” to end this health care program, Representative Kennedy gave an impassioned speech suggesting, instead, that it was “an act of malice.”

In our conversation, you get a glimpse into the heart of this man that makes it his mission to bring his soul’s force for good into this world through his public service. His wisdom, kindness, compassion, and dedication are exactly what we need more of in the halls of Congress.

Happy New Year! Today’s show is the first of 2018 and it is all about how to start this year off right and keep it going great, no matter what curve balls life might throw at us. Here at Soul Force Politics, we are interested in giving you the tools to be more resilient in the face of conflict. How do we cultivate a better practice of awareness and observation to shape our perspective and navigate our health? We explore these concepts today with a very wise healer, teacher, advocate, and clinician who was recently profiled as a “Modern Medicine Woman” in a cover story for the October 2017 edition of Shore Monthly magazine.Our guest today is Deborah Mizeur. Yes, she also happens to be my spouse. But I promise my praise of her has nothing to do with being biased!

To learn more about Deborah Mizeur’s clinical practice, visit her website at www.apotheosismedicine.com

And for access to locally made organic herbal medicines, and to learn more about her Herbal Alchemy business partnership, visit www.herbalalchemy.me

Baltimore’s NPR Station, WYPR, interviewed Deborah Mizeur for a segment on “Food as Medicine.” You can find that link here.

Heather Mizeur was a guest on The Kojo Nnamdi Show to preview the hot button issues expected to be addressed by the upcoming 90-day legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly, which starts this week. Topics ranged from legalization of marijuana and overriding the Governor’s veto of earned sick leave legislation, to climate change and addressing the culture of sexual harrassment in Annapolis, among others. You can listen to the conversation here.

Heather Mizeur appears as a guest on Baltimore Sun columnist Dan Rodricks’ podcast, “Roughly Speaking,” to discuss practical skills and conversational tactics to successfully navigate political activism in the Trump era — defining the essence of what is meant by Soul Force Politics.

GOP Congressman Andy Harris and Heather Mizeur have polar opposite world views, but in the aftermath of our country’s most recent mass shootings, Heather reached out to see if they could at least try to find some ways to break through the divide on gun violence, better understand each other, and foster a dialogue that might shift the stalemate on this controversial topic. Their fascinating conversation will surprise you.

A fearless and outspoken progressive Democrat, U.S. Senator Chris Coons also has the distinction of being trained not only at Yale Law School, but also its Divinity School. He is a wise scholar, a brilliant advocate, an astute policymaker, and a dedicated, humble public servant. We discover intimate details of Senator Coons’ bipartisan friendships in the U.S. Senate and learn why it was so challenging for him to lead the prayer breakfast for President Trump last February. Join us for this conversation to be inspired by the wisdom of how we can best navigate these uncertain times.

Our guest today is one of my favorite authors, Robin Wall Kimmerer, who gave us all the gift of her book, “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.”

Elizabeth Gilbert, who you know as the author of “Eat, Pray, Love,” fame calls this book “A hymn of love to the world.”

Gilbert goes on to describe the ways that Kimmerer takes us on a journey that she says is “every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise.”

This book’s indigenous wisdom became a guidepost on my own life’s path. I’m excited to share Professor Kimmerer’s profound teachings and insights with all of you.

Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology, and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment

Our guest today is Heather Mizeur, the former Democratic primary gubernatorial candidate who has a new project called Soul Force Politics. The project lives online at MizMaryland.org, and includes a weekly podcast and a policy blog, and will eventually run women-empowerment workshops.

In her podcast conversations with guests like Melissa Etheridge, Gov. Larry Hogan, or film maker and actor Sonja Sohn, she makes the case that spirituality should not be divorced from our political discourse. And her new project explores the merging of what she calls inner wisdom and external actions, and how that union can animate political movements.

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) is one of the most respected and astute policy analysts and legislative thinkers on Capitol Hill. In today’s conversation, we connect with him on a range of policy topics and hear his prescriptions for how activists can move the needle on tough issues like climate change and gun control. We hear about some of his successes in working across the aisle to achieve bipartisan legislative victories. And we also get to see a different side of Chris Van Hollen — one that lets us explore his love of the outdoors; how he juggled being the soccer coach for his kids while living the demanding life of a legislator; and a little about his days playing poker and riding motorcycles across the country.

Thanksgiving — a time of a gathering with family and friends to share gratitude can also become, in these trying times, a cauldron of fuming political and social discourse that sends us running away from the table before the pumpkin pie can be served. Let’s tell ourselves a different story. How would it feel to approach a dreaded family Thanksgiving conversation not as a weary obligation but rather an opportunity for fine-tuning your Jedi skills? With the right tools and frame of mind, a conversation with someone whom you totally disagree can actually be a window into a deeper side of yourself and result in an unexpectedly enjoyable experience. Let’s explore this further — and “May The Soul Force Be With You!”

Gathering with the extended family and in-laws can create a unique blending of world views and philosophies. In our current political environment, that can become a tinder box. For the past couple of years, as we have seen a dramatic slide in honorable civic discourse, many of us have experienced similar challenges in how we engage with family, friends, and coworkers when topics of disagreement arise. The level of nastiness has risen to new heights. We are exhausted from the stress of emotional strain and heartache. We know this must shift, but how?

Like all change, it starts as a revolution inside of each of us. We have more power over a situation than we believe. We get to choose in each instant how we are going to respond. Do we choose fear, or do we choose love? I know it sounds much simpler than it is. How do we choose a loving response when we want to rip someone’s eye out? We change the way we hold the conversation.

Why are we so bent on trying to make the person have the same opinion and feeling as we do? How does the interaction change if we are focused on listening to what the other person believes and approaching their beliefs with curiosity to better understand them rather than trying to win an argument? Listening is more than just being silent. Active listening requires the creation of space to fully embrace someone and what they are saying — and not waiting on the edge of your seat for the first moment to provide your counterpoint or brilliant retort. That’s a debate, not a conversation.

You might be surprised what happens when you ask a question that is rooted in curiosity and discover you have a window for making an unexpected connection about something in common. When you provide this respectful space for dialogue, it would follow that you expect the other person to grant you the same courtesy. That is a fair assumption; however, also be prepared that the person with whom you are speaking may not have the same skills as you. Make it a request. Tell your conversation partner that you would appreciate an opportunity to be heard in a similarly respectful way.

During this conversation, don’t forget the “count to three” rule we learned as children of taking a breath and pausing for reflection when we feel ourselves getting upset or exercised over the content or direction of the discussion. Throughout the entire exchange, continue to remember that how you respond is more a reflection about yourself — your ability to have inner clarity, observation, and awareness of what is happening in the moment and choosing to use your Jedi skills to remain in a space of loving compassion for the other person’s journey rather than relenting to the compulsive knocks of your ego begging for an opportunity to unload.

It might temporarily feel better to release your anger and frustration at your uncle’s limiting beliefs, but how does that change anything? Isn’t it more interesting to try to understand what is in your uncle’s life experience that makes him think and believe the way he does and find a place of compassion for it? Is there any way that your compassion for him will open an opportunity for him to see himself through your eyes and perhaps heal an old wound that would give way to a different set of beliefs in the future?

When we are more mindful in these moments, we are more alive with the possibilities of life. Give your uncle space to surprise you. You might find out that he also thinks the President’s tweets are outrageous; that he is failing the test of moral leadership for our country; that he agrees with you that racism and sexual harassment are at a cultural tipping point for massive change in our country. He might just also be so disgusted by the political establishment rooted in both parties that he was willing to give a rabble-rouser a chance at turning everything upside down and there is a part of him that is enjoying the show. Find out what he doesn’t like about that old system. You might have points of agreement there. Perhaps you can work together to find new people in 2018 to help fix it.

Our words are the most powerful weapons on this planet. We have a giant responsibility to use them with the most loving skills we can muster. I have great gratitude for you and your courage to try to change the world.

It was ten days before the election and our insurgent 2014 campaign for Governor was growing increasingly confident that we were in the running for an endorsement from The Baltimore Sun, the state’s paper of record. Such an endorsement would help us double down on the momentum our advertising campaign generated in the final weeks of the race. It could be the game changer we were hoping to pull off during the campaign’s closing arguments. Volunteers, supporters, and political insiders were energized and felt confident of our chances.

And then it landed with a thud. The paper endorsed another campaign in a head-scratching editorial that was almost apologetic in how it heaped praise on our efforts while simultaneously expressing concerns about their chosen candidate. Their rationale seemed to boil down to one main sticking point: my advocacy for marijuana legalization.

“Del. Heather Mizeur has run by far the best campaign of any of the candidates from either party — just ask them, and they’ll agree. She is passionate and dynamic and speaks from the heart, but she also displays a tremendous depth of knowledge about the issues. She is a true outsider, and her election would fundamentally shake up the State House — probably more even than a Republican governor would. But although we find her a tremendously appealing candidate and share many of her priorities, we find that she consistently goes too far in her positions, particularly in her plan to rush ahead with marijuana legalization rather than waiting to see how such policies play out in Colorado and Washington. She has said she is the governor Maryland is ready for, but we don’t think that’s quite true.” Baltimore Sun editorial 6/14/14 [emphasis added]

Maybe my campaign team was right – there would be a high political price to pay for taking this stance. I’ll never forget the look they gave me when I told them we were going to advocate for legalizing marijuana as one of our policy platforms in the Governor’s race. After working through the typical arguments that a political team is conditioned to give a candidate who wants to adopt such a controversial stand, we made our way to the real substance of the policy and my team eventually agreed with me that it was the right thing to do.

While it may have cost me an important endorsement from a key opinion driver at a crucial point in the race, I do not believe that my support for marijuana legalization ultimately cost me the election. I can say that even if it had, I would not wish I had advocated differently. It was then, and still is, the best policy choice for our state. And with almost three years of additional experience and data from other states to back up this claim, it is time for the Free State to step up its advocacy to join the growing number of states that are being bold with their reforms of the failed war on drugs.

So, Baltimore Sun, you wanted to wait to see how the experience has played out in Colorado and Washington State. Here is a snap shot: tax revenues are up without any increases in consumption or drug related crimes. Though they originally estimated $70 million in annual tax collections from their legalized market, Colorado legal marijuana sales nearly topped $1 billion in 2015, with $135 million in tax revenue generated. And in 2016, the state announced that they generated nearly $200 million in tax revenues off of more than $1.3 billion in sales. Washington State, with a higher tax on the substance, only sold $488 million but brought in $128 million in revenues in 2015. Their 2016 tax intake soared to $256 million. National legal sales of marijuana have grown from $4.6 billion in 2014 to $5.4 billion in 2015, increasing to $6.7 billion in 2016. By 2020, that number is expected to jump to $21.8 billion as at least eight states (OR, WA, CA, NV, AK, CO, ME, MA) and the District of Columbia now have legalized the recreational use of marijuana through voter-approved ballot initiatives.

Legislatures are taking note, too. In 2016, the Vermont Senate voted in favor of a legalization bill (SB 241) that failed in the House. In the 2017 legislative session, the Senate again passed a legalization amendment to another bill by a vote of 21-9 in late April but the House again blocked its consideration, even though Governor Shumlin has said he would sign it into law. The Vermont Senate’s efforts represent the first time marijuana legalization legislation has been approved by any legislative chamber – and the trend suggests it won’t be the last.

Maryland, will you live up to truly being the Free State, and find the courage to take on this important policy challenge? We have seen from Colorado and Washington State that a responsible regulatory plan can be implemented to protect the public’s interests as we shift to an updated strategy on how to deal with the legal status of a substance which is no more (and perhaps arguably less) dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. Addressing some of the racial bias associated with marijuana incarceration policies, Maryland stepped up in 2014 to decriminalize possession of a small personal amount of marijuana. It would be wise for Maryland to take the next step and give serious consideration to joining the ranks of states that have chosen to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana.

Support for marijuana legalization in Maryland is strong and growing every year. A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll conducted in September 2016 showed that 61% of Marylanders — and 64% of likely voters — support ending marijuana prohibition. This is a sizable increase over just two years before, when support was at 54%. There are many great initiatives we could fund with the projected revenue we would generate from legal sales in Maryland. The data in our state suggests that we could raise between $122 million and $157 million per year if we legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana here at home. In 2014, I proposed using that revenue to eliminate the achievement gap in our schools by funding a universal pre-kindergarten program for 3 and 4 year olds. However, there are any number of worthy policy initiatives that could be launched with this revenue.

There are other potential benefits to modernizing our outdated cannabis laws. New scientific studies show a strong correlation between a reduction in heroin-related overdoses/hospitalizations and access to legal medicinal marijuana. An April 2017 study in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence tallied hospital discharges in 27 states from 1997 to 2014. Where medicinal cannabis is legal, hospitalizations caused by opioid dependence dropped by 23 percent and those caused by opioid overdoses dropped 11 percent. Conversely, hospitalizations caused by cannabis did not increase in states with legal medical marijuana.

Advocates and supportive lawmakers need to remember that the tax rates on legal marijuana need to be low enough to wipe out the illegal market. One of the big benefits of legalizing marijuana is putting the substance into state licensed facilities where we are more likely to keep the plant out of the hands of under age users. Experience in other states suggests this magic number is between a 10-25 percent excise tax on the sale of the product in any form. Policy makers need to keep in mind that it takes a while to develop the market, formulate a regulatory system, and collect the revenue, but often the collections eventually exceed projections by significant margins.

The decision to change the way we treat this plant under our law is no longer a radical choice.

What should be radical, however, is the way in which we honor and use this medicine. Even though I am an advocate for legalization, I offer my own notes of caution on how marijuana is used in our culture. Like any plant medicine, its use should be done in a respectful manner. Overwhelmingly, our culture has lost its connection to the consciousness of the plant itself. Indigenous practices for millennia have informed us that curative plants have sentience and wisdom. That is where their medicine is derived. But how often are we encouraged to connect with the spirit of this plant when using its medicine?

Cannabis can be a beautiful, healing plant for many maladies when honored and respected. Like anything that can be misused, it can also work against one’s best interests. When marijuana is used as a crutch to tune out and distract oneself from feeling and experiencing the challenges of life, then one is more at risk for becoming disconnected from the guidance of consciousness. However, used with a mindful approach, and cannabis can strengthen one’s connection to inner wisdom and healing.

Marijuana is not a medicine I have much experience with; however, I have deep respect for indigenous spiritual teachings on how to best honor plant medicines in general. These healers would encourage us to pray over the medicine before receiving it; thank it; be clear about our intentions for healing or connection; use it in moderation; and bless and thank the plant again for its healing and teachings afterwards.

If cannabis is a medicine for you, perhaps you can consider incorporating this mindful approach to its usage if you are not already doing so. Creating a shift in how this plant is honored and used in our culture can go a long way in assuring that its medicine is available for positive benefits.

Actress Sonja Sohn discusses her directorial debut, a new HBO documentary film that takes us on a deep journey to review the hidden stories behind the civic unrest that unfolded in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray in police custody in 2015.

“Baltimore Rising” chronicles the City’s unrest leading up to this tragedy and takes viewers deep behind the scenes of a community on edge long before an incident that grabbed national attention.

What is so powerful about the film is that it lets Baltimore tell its story in its own voice.

Soul Force Politics was given an advance screening of the film – a story that weaves together the voices of Baltimore’s community leaders, activists, and every day citizens who are working tirelessly to heal and improve relationships with the City’s police and between and among each other.

In this hour, we will give you unparalleled access to the film’s director and the story behind the story.

We will be missing the underlying lessons of the dark side of this chaos if we think all of the work at hand should be focused solely on elections.

We can’t give all this work over to the politicians. WE have a calling and duty to show up in big ways, too!

This week’s 2017 election was clearly a big night for the Democrats. Political insiders across the spectrum are labeling the drubbing that Republicans took up and down the ballot as a clear repudiation of Trump and his divisive politics.

There will be a rush to assume that this is a bellweather for the 2018 mid-term elections and a preview to what will come in 2020. There might be a tendency to predict that all of the current chaos can be tamed with the results of a couple more elections. “We just need to keep focused on winning elections.”

YES, BUT

Please, please, please do not let that be the only framework for your vision.

Yes, elections matter and have great consequences for our communities. I am hopeful that candidates of both parties wake up to see that the people are tired of politics as usual, and that means abandoning divisive language and the assaulting attacks on each other. That clearly must change.

Yes, we are looking for leaders with a vision of how to help connect our communities and address our challenges in creative and insightful ways that speak to our best selves.

Yes, we must hold that vision for our leaders to change — and work tirelessly to turn out voters to support candidates who support these values.

HOWEVER

We will be missing the underlying lessons of the dark side of this chaos if we think all of the work at hand should be focused solely on elections.

To hold that view makes all of this work seem to be purely an external exercise related to the elevation or removal of someone to whom we have given over our power.

Think about it – the whole premise of an election is to cede some portion of our power / our voice over to representatives we anoint to go do the work.

Awesome. As long as we don’t think our work is done after we have elected them.

We still have to use OUR POWER. WE have our OWN work to do with EACH OTHER.

We have work to do that pushes each of us to recognize and fully own our own empowerment and our own role in creating this change – person-to-person.

That is the fault line that has been so clearly illuminated in the Trump era.

And those divisions do not go away simply by electing a different leader.

Those divisions are the wounds our nation has inherited from generations of unspoken and misunderstood pain and suffering inside our people — and having forgotten how to relate to someone who is different.

What’s being deeply called for in these times is to match our external civic action with our internal wisdoms. Our deepest spiritual promptings know that we are all connected to each other and our humanity. When we get out of our heads and into our hearts to find a space to listen and love with unconditional support and compassion for the other’s experience, then we start to make way for real conversations and deeper, more lasting transformations — the revolution that is waiting inside of each of us!

There is reason to be excited about the results of this week’s election – it is an energy that will undeniably cause a shift in the way things are working in Washington, D.C. right now and that is certainly cause for celebration.

Let’s just also remember to keep doing the important work of honing and recognizing our internal source of power, observation, and awareness that gives us the heart-based talents necessary to skillfully engage with those we might consider “the other.”

We can’t give all this work over to the politicians. WE have a calling and duty to show up in big ways, too!

I wrote these words in a Facebook Post the day after the Presidential Election, November 9, 2016. I can look back and see here how the roots of Soul Force Politics were being formed in these early days after the election. I think these words still ring true.

Blessed be. You are the light workers. Your heart is heavy and these results have temporarily stolen your clarity. Observe yourself in this moment. Let the anger rise, only to release it and transform its nature. Do not, however, let it come out against any of your brothers and sisters. Allow it to be a private release. Then hold it, look at it, and send it on its way. Anger, fear, division, doubt, ego, aggression, and rage have no place in the world we want to create together. Do. Not. Let. It. Win. The only way we move backwards is if you give in to these tendencies. We need you and your light and your giant hearts to step up in the biggest ways imaginable right now. We have never faced a larger test than this…and yet, it is here because we can transform it.

I take comfort in knowing that this loss was delivered to those who are most capable of handling it. We are a divided nation that seeks healing – the awakened versus those still asleep. The sleeping ones need our compassion. They need our hugs. They need our gentle understanding that they are very, very afraid. If we had won, their darkest instincts would have emerged more ferociously. We can accept defeat without feeding our demons.

For sure, it feels like a heavy price to pay; and it is beyond crushing to know that the job ahead of us will be filled with so many challenges. But we can do this. We are strong. We can give the unconditional love that is the magic of true transformation. America is trying to rid itself of its worst tendencies that have been ingrained in our culture since its inception. Of course this energy would not go down without a fight. However, our secret weapon is that our approach is not to engage it or let it dampen our lights. We will shine more brightly. Every cockroach scurries when the lights are turned on. Darkness has no power over us. And we must continue to make the choice that we will break down the illusion that we are separate – that it is us vs. them; and instead practice our truth that We Are One.

I know this is bitter medicine today. I have had trouble swallowing it myself. And I also know that there is something here in these words that will resonate with your highest self and will call the healing forward if you open to it.

Might I be so bold as to offer one important prescription? Turn off the televisions. It’s our culture’s fascination with this medium that has created this next President. It’s a constant diet of fear that intrudes into homes on a nearly 24-hour basis. It is a cancer. Spend your time in nature instead. Her wisdom will guide you on this path to peace. Spend your time talking to family and friends. Their love will sustain you. Spend your time observing your thoughts, actions, and instincts. Your outer world is a reflection of your inner life.

Jenna Johnson has worked at the Washington Post for more than a decade and covered the Maryland General Assembly in 2014. That’s where she got to know Delegate Heather Mizeur. In September 2015, she was assigned to lead the paper’s campaign coverage for U.S. presidential candidate, Donald J. Trump. As Trump vaulted into prominence to win his party’s nomination and eventually the general election, Johnson had a front row seat to this unconventional campaign and moment in history. With the barrage of “Fake News” claims coming from Trump and his base’s misgivings about the press in general, she understands well the “us” versus “them” divide and shares insights on her understanding of what is fueling the division. And in our conversation, she peels back the curtain and gives us an insider’s view of her experience of getting to know the candidate and his supporters so intimately on the campaign trail.

CUMBERLAND — Former Maryland legislator and 2014 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Heather Mizeur hopes to create common ground in what she feels is a highly partisan political climate by merging spirituality with government discourse in her new nonprofit.

“This is an offering,” Mizeur said about her nonpartisan organization, MizMaryland – Soul Force Politics. After serving in the Maryland House of Delegates as a representative for Montgomery County’s 20th district from 2007 to 2015, as well as her 2014 state run for governor, Mizeur thought she would retire from the political spotlight.

“I was enjoying a semi-retired life on my farm when the 2016 (presidential) election came around” she said. “We saw how ugly and nasty that was. Usually, campaign rhetoric gets put aside once an election is over and a governing strategy comes in to reunify everything — that didn’t happen this time. The divisions continued to be exacerbated.”

It wasn’t until what she refers to as “a disastrous situation” generated by the presidential election that called her back into discussing politics. She created a forum dedicated to addressing some of the nation’s critical issues in a respectful manner through spiritual concepts.

“I was called back off the sidelines by what’s going on in our country right now,” she said. “We have a disastrous situation among all of our communities. There is bitter, hateful division that exists almost everywhere.”

MizMaryland – Soul Force Politics is a combination of Mizeur’s blog, podcast, trainings and retreats where she uses spiritual tools and “inner wisdom” to guide external actions regarding issues that would otherwise divide a nation.

Mizeur stopped by the Times-News to discuss her new organization while in town conducting one of her eight Wonder Woman Workshops, a lesson in taking characteristics of female superhero archetypes and applying them to everyday life. The workshop was held at Frostburg State University on Saturday. She believes that by blending spirituality with such hot-button issues like national health care reform or race relations, a general respect and compassion is created for all involved, ultimately leading to less national division.

“I felt the need to step in with some tools for inspiration on how we can reconnect with each other” she said. “Even when we disagree, we can do it without being disagreeable.” Politics and spirituality may seem miles away from one another, Mizeur said, but she thinks this approach is necessary to foster needed understanding.

“The art of having a respectful conversation with each other is about showing up with your heart and your ears and being willing to open up and listen to what somebody is saying and trying to understand them better. Not necessarily trying to defend your position or change their mind, but are there ways to find some common ground.”

Launched on Oct. 11, Mizeur’s podcast has featured numerous influential and diverse individuals such as Grammy award-winning rock singer Melissa Etheridge, former U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), television series The Wire’s Sonja Sohn, and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.

Mizeur points to her podcast conversation with Hogan as an example of how to bridge partisan gaps.

“Before I launched this organization, I had people all across the state encouraging me to run for governor against Larry Hogan,” she said, “And so it’s somewhat counterintuitive then to sit down and show everyone that we are actually friends, and that we can have a conversation for an hour about a range of issues, some of which we agree with, some of which we don’t, but in a respectful manner that honors each other’s integrity and a connection to each other as humans.”

Despite her lengthy political résumé, former Del. Heather R. Mizeur, D-Montgomery, was disillusioned with what had become “politics as usual.”

Last month, she launched a new political initiative called “MizMaryland/Soul Force Politics.” It’s a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, and its aim, she said during a stop Friday in Hagerstown, is to empower people to participate in the process while encouraging more civility in political discourse.

After losing her bid for governor in the 2014 Democratic primary, she “semi-retired” to her farm on the Eastern Shore.

“I’d spent 18 months on the campaign trail in this incredibly external exercise of just being out there in the world, and I really needed to retreat to find some balance,” she said.

Her time off gave her a chance to reconnect with herself, she said, “as a way to best harness what I want to put out in the world in terms of civic engagement.”

Those thoughts were “already percolating” as she observed the 2016 presidential campaign, she said. “Campaigns have been negative for a long time, and I tried to change that when I ran. I had zero negative campaigning … and then in 2015, 2016 when the presidential campaign rolled around, it just was so awful.” And while negative campaigns are nothing new, she posits that the wake of this one has been a little different.

“What happened in the past is negative campaigns will then often transition to more positive governing strategies,” she said, “and that didn’t happen this time. Everything continued to be confrontational and divisive and deep ‘us vs. them’ divisions in our communities. And I really started to feel really compelled to come off the sidelines and offer a different way of doing this.

“And that’s what Soul Force Politics is about — it’s this notion that if we really cultivate a deeper mindfulness about our inner-spirit wisdom and our connection to our heart’s promptings … in a way that ignites our enthusiasm for what we’re doing, we can stand for what we believe in without tearing down someone else for what they believe in.”

In addition to a podcast, blog and workshops, Mizeur has been traveling the state to encourage what she calls a grassroots approach toward individual change.

“The response has really been wonderful,” she said, even when she made appearances on conservative radio programs.

Her own podcasts have featured a diverse array of guests. In addition to former U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and singer Melissa Etheridge, a personal friend, Republican Gov. Larry Hogan was one of the first.

One of the lessons she learned as a political candidate, she said, is that for paradigms to shift, the change has to happen inside individuals. She hopes to see more people, particularly candidates, taking a more civil approach to politics. But it requires a transformation, she said.

“Candidates are a reflection of the community,” she said. “When we do the work, we end up cultivating candidates who are more in line with what we want.”

And while she said the organization will do no lobbying, she will discuss policy — such as her proposal for a statewide version of the AmeriCorps community service program.

Mizeur’s blog and podcast are available at mizmaryland.org, as well as more information on the organization and its vision.

Former Maryland delegate and gubernatorial candidate Heather Mizeur was in Frederick on Thursday for a workshop through her new nonprofit that melds spirituality and civic duty. Launched earlier this month, Mizeur’s latest endeavor is MizMaryland/Soul Force Politics, a nonprofit meant to bridge the divides in the current partisan political environment. The organization is “dedicated to connecting our political discourse and civic actions with the guidance, strength, and clarity of our soul’s force for good in the world.”

Mizeur developed the concept after retreating to her farm on the Eastern Shore after her 2014 gubernatorial bid. After the election of 2016, she decided to put the concept in action. “That campaign itself, for the whole year, it was really nasty and ugly. And I kept observing our civil discourse falling lower and lower and lower,” Mizeur said Thursday. “For me, MizMaryland/Soul Force Politics is an offering to bridge the political divides. To eliminate the ‘us vs. them’ approach to politics. And instead find some common ground — and higher ground.”

Mizeur was hosting a “Discovering Your Inner Wonder Woman” workshop in Frederick on Thursday, one of 10 she’s holding across the state. A Montgomery County workshop is scheduled for Nov. 15. But MizMaryland is intended to be a nonpartisan, non-political group for all genders, Mizeur said.

It’s a point that comes through in MizMaryland’s podcasts, Mizeur said. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) was among her first guests. For the better part of an hour, they discuss mostly issues on which they agree. “But even where we disagree, we’re modeling a civil discourse that shows you can disagree without being disagreeable, that there’s more that unites us than divides us,” Mizeur said Thursday. “We’re going to continue to have vast differences of opinions on a range of issues, but I don’t have to be nasty when I interact with him, and vice versa. He and I can show that we respect each other.”

Other podcast guests have included retired U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D) and musician Melissa Etheridge.

I asked Mizeur if she ever sees herself running for political office again. “I’m only about to be 45 years old. It’s too young to say never. That’s not what my focus is right now,” she said. “In the same way that I never thought I’d be launching a nonprofit organization bringing spirituality and politics together, I don’t have any plans right now to run for office down the road. And yet I know it’s in my DNA. Who knows?”

Heather Mizeur and Delman Coates teamed up in 2014 to be an unlikely ticket for Governor and Lt. Governor of Maryland. A lesbian and black baptist minister, few would have paired them together, but they proved to be a charismatic force for change on the campaign trail. Their friendship endures and in this episode of MizMaryland’s Soul Force Politics, they explore a revolutionary idea of a new abolitionism movement to reform the monetary system for a more compassionate, just, and socially responsible economy.

Heather Mizeur Interviews Pamela Whyte, CEO of Chester River Wellness Alliance, for a podcast at Mizeur’s studio on Apotheosis Farm. Mizeur has launched a sweeping new venture, MizMaryland | Soul Force Politics, that includes the weekly podcast

October 26, 2017. By: Daniel Divilio ddivilio@thekentcountynews.com

CHESTERTOWN — Heather Mizeur’s podcast studio is a room with a view that lends itself to the sort of soul-searching she elicits in conversations with her guests.

Located on Apotheosis Farm off state Route 213, just north of Chestertown, Mizeur’s studio is an idyllic cabin built of reclaimed wood, packed with books and situated next door to her wife Deborah’s apothecary. From her desk, Mizeur and her guests enjoy the view of the pool, which looks and functions a bit more like a natural pond, gardens, the farmhouse and woods lining the property.

“The land here is very magical,” Mizeur said in an interview about her new venture, MizMaryland: Soul Force Politics.

An effort aimed at connecting spirituality with politics to improve civic discourse and bring positive change to the state and beyond, Soul Force Politics launched this month with the podcast, a blog and a series of empowerment workshops on the calendar, including one to be held Nov. 7 at Washington College.

Mizeur and her wife maintained a second home in Chestertown for a number of years — they spent their honeymoon here — while they worked on the western shore. Mizeur was a congressional aide — including time as then-Sen. John Kerry’s director of domestic policy.

She also is a politician in her own right. She was elected to the Takoma Park city council and served as a delegate in the General Assembly. She made a bid for governor in the 2014 race, losing in the Democratic primary.

Following the 2014 election, Mizeur semi-retired to Apotheosis Farm. But another election night — Nov. 8, 2016 — stirred in her the desire to get back off the sidelines.

She hoped to see the tenor of national discourse shift from the battle language of the presidential campaign trail to a message of unity as Donald Trump took the oath of office and formed his administration.

That change has not happened, and Mizeur came to a realization. There was more work to be done.

Her goal now is to reinvest a sense of spirituality into politics.

“(I) spent a lot of time thinking about what that was, though. Because normally, blending politics and spirituality comes with a warning label. And what I’m encouraging people to do is rethink that — that bringing our spiritual wisdom into our civic actions is what creates the profound change and shifts that we’re looking for,” Mizeur said.

Who better to be Mizeur’s first podcast guest than her spiritual mentor and longtime friend Melissa Etheridge — the Oscar- and Grammy-winning singer/songwriter. The pair first came in contact in 2007 during another presidential race.

Mizeur was a superdelegate not yet prepared to choose between Democratic contenders like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Mizeur said she received calls from Obama, from the Clintons and from other party leaders like U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin who represents Mizeur’s home state of Illinois.

“And I only returned Melissa Etheridge’s call. It was the Obama campaign that had her call me and we started laughing. I said, ‘Well they found the secret path to having me return a call.’ And she said, ‘Yeah I read your bio and I had to laugh. They had the gay one call the gay one,’” Mizeur said.

The two had a lot in common, from their Midwestern upbringings to both having carried pocket-sized copies of the Constitution when they were in school. Their friendship grew.

“And along the way, she started dropping her wisdom about various spiritual practices and traditions that she had come into contact with that expanded my own relationship to spirit beyond my own Catholic upbringing, which I am still dedicated to. I’m just Catholic-plus,” Mizeur said.

Etheridge was thrilled to be Mizeur’s first guest.

“We have a deep friendship that was built on a mutual love of politics that morphed into a beautiful spiritual partnership. It makes so much sense that this is the next phase of what Heather is bringing into the world. We need a leader that shows us how to blend politics and spirituality. What a gift,” Etheridge said in a statement announcing the launch of Soul Force Politics.

“It’s the first podcast she’s ever recorded and she’s very excited about it and it comes through in the podcast,” Mizeur said.Mizeur and Mikulski discuss the former senator’s spirituality and Catholic upbringing, what it was to be the first woman elected to the Senate in her own right and even the time NASA named a supernova after her.

“But I also prompt her to talk in detail about her bipartisan relationships and how she got things done by cooperating across the aisle,” Mizeur said.

“I’m very serious about this being a nonpartisan, non-ideologically driven approach to shifting the dialogue. And he and I show how you can have an hour-long conversation and find more areas of agreement than disagreement. And when we do disagree, we can do it without being disagreeable,” she said.

Mizeur thinks she was able to land Hogan as a guest, when many others have not, because he respected how she ran her campaign and how she has imbued those sensibilities into Soul Force Politics.

“I didn’t sling mud during the primary,” Mizeur said. “That’s my approach to politics. You should be for something, not against someone. And this organization is a reflection of that. And about bringing those values into our everyday dialogue, into our consciousness and trying to reform and reshape the way that we choose to engage in the political sphere.”

Soul Force Politics is much more than a podcast. It is a spiritual and political movement.

Mizeur is hosting a series of empowerment programs throughout the state: “Discover Your Inner Wonder Woman.”

“I don’t know any women who went to see the ‘Wonder Woman’ movie and didn’t come out of it feeling really super-empowered and excited. And I deconstruct in this workshop the archetype of the successful warrior woman presented in this film as a way to share guideposts for how to live with that empowerment in your life every day,” Mizeur said.

She and her wife plan to donate 8 acres of Apotheosis Farm to create Camp MizMaryland. Mizeur proposes to hold retreats on “highly skilled leadership, nonviolent resistance, peaceful protest, successful social engagement and connection to the land in the traditions of indigenous practices that honor that spirit that is moving through everything.”

“Because when we raise our awareness of the spirit that exists around us in nature is when we become more in contact with our own spirit as well,” she said.

And while Mizeur’s blog includes a policy proposal for statewide community service, it also has an entry listing her favorite recipes for farm-fresh eggs.

The podcast is already drawing an international audience, with Mizeur saying she received comments from listeners in Europe.

“That’s the beauty of technology like a podcast. You get uploaded on iTunes and people can subscribe to you all over the world, so your message can go wherever it needs to go,” she said.

Mizeur’s workshop, “Discover Your Inner Wonder Woman,” is being held from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7 in the Litrenta Lecture Hall at the Toll Science Center at Washington College. Those interested in attending can sign up online at mizmaryland.org/event/wonder-woman-workshop-eastern-shore.

Putting the notion of #SoulForcePolitics to the test, listeners of this episode are treated to a diverse and wide-ranging bipartisan discussion between popular GOP Governor Larry Hogan and Maryland’s most respected progressive voice, Heather Mizeur. Though from different ends of the political spectrum, in the spirit of Soul Force Politics, they show how to disagree on policy options without being disagreeable – modeling honorable leadership and respectful dialogue on difficult topics.

Maryland’s most popular politician — feisty firebrand, powerhouse & glass-ceiling-breaker, former U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) — records her very first podcast with MizMaryland | Soul Force Politics and offers her trademark charm, blunt assessments, and keen political insights, sprinkled with humor and unexpected candor about the role of faith and spirituality in a career that spans thirty years of Congressional history-making.

]]>MizMarylandclean57:361059WBAL Radio C4 Show — Soul Force Politics Cliphttp://www.soulforcepolitics.org/wbal-radio-c4-show-soul-force-politics-clip/
Mon, 16 Oct 2017 22:11:07 +0000http://mizmaryland.org/?p=1055In this short clip from WBAL’s C4 Show, Heather Mizeur — MizMaryland’s CEO + Founder — gets a call from one of her conservative former GOP colleagues in the House of Delegates and this discussion underpins the importance of the Soul Force Politics approach to civic action. Have a listen:

After months of rumors and speculation, Heather Mizeur has finally answered the “What’s Heather Mizeur Up to?” question.

On Wednesday, Mizeur, the former state delegate and erstwhile gubernatorial contender, announced that she has created a nonprofit organization called MizMaryland/Soul Force Politics. It’s a multi-faceted operation designed to get more people involved in politics and working for social justice – and employ a touch of spirituality to move beyond the partisan battles and personal attacks that define the politics of today.

“Soul Force Politics is the thoughtful combination of our inner wisdom with our external actions,” Mizeur said in a statement. “When our spirit is awakened and allowed to guide our political discourse, we find more room for common ground, connections, and understanding differences of opinion.”

Heather Mizeur

Mizeur has launched a website for her organization – mizmaryland.org – featuring a blog, podcast, and news and information. She is raising money for her effort and will begin to host a series of “Wonder Woman” workshops around the state, “to provide tools, insights, and guidance to harness the lessons from sacred feminine energy that will help you become a more fully empowered woman in every day life,” according to the website.

Ultimately, the organization plans to offer retreats and more extended trainings on the grounds of Apotheosis Farm on the Eastern Shore, where Mizeur and her wife Deborah live and cultivate and sell organic herbs. Mizeur said she sees those sessions being in the spirit of the Lakota Sioux resistance camps at Standing Rock.

“I have always had a very strong desire to change politics as usual,” she said. “This new organization is really just an outgrowth of my signature political creed – ‘be for something, not against someone’.”

“Soul Force Politics is a breath of fresh air and exactly what we need more of,” Hogan said in a statement. “At a time when so much of our political discourse is about spreading division instead of finding common sense solutions, Heather is proving it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable. At the end of the day, there is always more that unites us than divides us.”

Mizeur, of course, sought the same job Hogan has now, in the same year he won. She ran a spirited, scrappy campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, finishing a surprisingly strong third despite being heavily outspent by the two frontrunners.

After her second legislative term concluded at the end of 2014, Mizeur largely disappeared from the political scene. She did not seek another term as Maryland’s Democratic National Committeewoman, and retreated to her farm, selling her home in Takoma Park. Mizeur would surface occasionally for speeches and protests, but stayed silent about Maryland politics for the most part – despite being rumored as a candidate for multiple offices.

Some observers were surprised that Mizeur did not seek to put together a political organization sooner, building on the momentum from her 2014 campaign – similar to the way Howard Dean turned his unsuccessful but crusade-like 2004 presidential campaign into a sustainable progressive group called Democracy for America.

Mizeur told the Baltimore Sun on Wednesday that she has no plans to run for political office. She does, however, plan to promote an idea to provide free community college tuition in Maryland, that would be tied to a state-based community service program that she is calling “Benefit Maryland.”

The concept of free college tuition is likely to become a major issue in the upcoming gubernatorial campaign.

On her website, Mizeur writes that she is “dedicated to advancing the consciousness of unconditional love while taking up the fiery sword of a social justice warrior.”

After Heather Mizeur lost the Democratic primary race for governor in 2014, she retreated to her farm on the Eastern Shore for more than two years, leaving behind a political life she had been building since she was a teenager.

Today, she’s re-emerging on the Maryland political scene with a new organization that has the goal of bridging the deep political divisions in society.

“My sense is that we are feeling worn down and there’s almost a desperation, no matter what side of the political divide you’re on,” Mizeur said. “We’re tired as a country of being at each other’s throats. And what’s the way out of it? I’m excited to offer at least my version of one long drink of water.”

Mizeur’s “MizMaryland: Soul Force Politics” nonprofit is partly a philosophical movement, partly advocacy training for people who want to work on social justice issues and don’t know how.

In addition to a blog and planned training camps for women interested in civic engagement, Mizeur is launching a podcast by the same name, where she discusses political divisions and how to overcome them with rock musician Melissa Etheridge, a friend and mentor of Mizeur’s, with Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, and with former U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski.

“I told you back when we were both running for governor that we agree on a bunch more things than you would think,” Hogan tells Mizeur in one podcast episode.

The organization is meant to promote the same brand of political discourse that Mizeur used in her upstart bid for governor three years ago, including her refusal to speak negatively about an opponent. Although she finished a distant third in that race, she built a large network of dedicated supporters.

Now, Mizeur hopes those supporters and others will come to Soul Force Politics, funded in part by leftover campaign funds, as a way to learn how to “give us the clarity and the strength to have a conversation with someone who disagrees with you, and really rankles you.”

New to her brand of politics, however, is Mizeur’s belief that blending spirituality with politics is key to finding any central ground.

She said the discord that’s become apparent since President Donald Trump’s election inspired her to look for a way she could help be a “balm” to people on both sides of the aisle.

She said she does not plan to run for office again.

Although spirituality is central to Mizeur’s approach, she also focuses on the nonviolent protest message of Gandhi, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman and Nelson Mandela.

“It’s more about a shift in culture, and how we deal with each other,” she said.

In the first episode of her podcast, Mizeur discusses with Etheridge how the singer first introduced her to the concept that dividing people into camps of opposing points of view only reinforces opposition, and that spirituality can transcend that.

“There’s a belief — and it’s belief that holds things together — and it’s that belief of ‘us’ against ‘them,’ ” Etheridge says.

“I remember when you first started to talk about this, I gave you special dispensation: ‘Well, she’s my crazy rock-star friend,’ ” Mizeur said. “But more and more, it started to make sense to me.”

The women discuss how Mizeur helped Etheridge shape her views over their eight-year friendship, and how Etheridge counseled Mizeur through the devastation of losing her bid for governor by insisting there was a silver lining.

Both women, who consider themselves liberal progressives, were stunned that Trump beat Hillary Clinton, but more stunned at the anger and fear they say they saw among his supporters.

“There is a piece of me that is very thankful for what happened on that Election Day,” Mizeur said of the 2016 presidential race.

“I was very comfortable semiretired on my farm, feeling like I had contributed my pound of flesh to the public sphere, and I was happy living a private life,” she said. “And then after the election, I said, ‘Oh, goodness. There’s so much more work to be done. We can’t be on the sidelines.’ ”

Mizeur Launches Non-Profit That Reflects Her Signature Political Brand

Heather Mizeur, former Maryland legislator and 2014 Gubernatorial candidate in the Democratic primary, today launched a non-profit organization meant to bridge the divides that exist in the current partisan political environment.

MizMaryland | Soul Force Politics is dedicated to connecting our political discourse and civic actions with the guidance, strength, and clarity of our soul’s force for good in the world.

At the heart of this work is the belief that we are all connected, rejecting traditional political tactics that divide people and ideas into categories of “us” against “them.” Asked how to sum up this initiative, Mizeur said, “Soul Force Politics is the thoughtful combination of our inner wisdom with our external actions. When our spirit is awakened and allowed to guide our political discourse, we find more room for common ground, connections, and understanding differences of opinion.”

Mizeur put these ideas to the test when she ran for Governor, rejecting the typical campaign playbooks and refusing to say anything negative about her opponents. She said, “I have always had a very strong desire to change politics as usual. This new organization is really just an outgrowth of my signature political creed – ‘be for something, not against someone’.”

MizMaryland | Soul Force Politics is home to a new policy blog and podcast written and hosted by Heather Mizeur. In its inaugural launch, the policy blog makes news by proposing a state-based community service program tied to tuition free community college called, “Benefit Maryland.”

The podcast boasts an impressive line up, featuring celebrities like rock star Melissa Etheridge, The Wire’s Sonja Sohn, and politicians Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD) and former U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). Mizeur connects intimately, often with surprising revelations. Her guests open up on topics that intersect at the crossroads of policy advocacy, spirituality, social justice, and community relationships.

“I’m thrilled to be Heather’s first podcast guest,” says Melissa Etheridge. “We have a deep friendship that was built on a mutual love of politics that morphed into a beautiful spiritual partnership. It makes so much sense that this is the next phase of what Heather is bringing into the world. We need a leader that shows us how to blend politics and spirituality. What a gift,” Etheridge concludes.

Barbara Mikulski offers, “This is my very first podcast and I had so much fun recording it with Heather Mizeur. This organization is the right prescription at the exact right time in our history. May the Soul Force be with us all!”

Showing the organization’s nonpartisan approach, Mizeur sits down for a wide-ranging conversation with Maryland’s GOP Governor Larry Hogan. “Soul Force Politics is a breath of fresh air and exactly what we need more of,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “At a time when so much of our political discourse is about spreading division instead of finding common sense solutions, Heather is proving it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable. At the end of the day, there is always more that unites us than divides us.”

MizMaryland will also offer trainings, workshops, and retreats to connect organizers to non-violent resistance education, tenants of peaceful protest, and a deeper connection to the wisdom of nature. The organization proposes building “Camp MizMD” in the spirit of the Lakota Sioux resistance camps at Standing Rock on land donated by the farm owned by Heather and Deborah Mizeur on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

In its initial workshop offerings, MizMaryland’s events calendar boasts nine regional “Finding Your Inner Wonder Woman” workshops over the next month all across the state to promote women’s empowerment through an interactive multi-media presentation based on the archetypal themes of the successful warrior woman displayed in the 2017 box office hit movie from Warner Bros. Studios.

Mizeur reminds would-be followers of her mission that, “You have found your tribe. We will feed your fire.” MizMaryland promotes itself as a “fire-starter for social justice warriors.” On her biography page of the website, Heather writes that she is “dedicated to advancing the consciousness of unconditional love while taking up the fiery sword of a social justice warrior.”

You can learn more about MizMaryland | Soul Force Politics, read its blog offerings, and listen to its podcasts at www.mizmaryland.org

I consider myself very blessed to live on this farm. Among my most favorite aspects of this agrarian life are the daily gifts of farm fresh eggs.

Our flock consists of six guinea hens, one rooster, and thirteen egg laying hens (this number is often fluctuating, depending on our success with keeping the foxes at bay and whether the hens get broody and start hatching babies).

These girls are pasture-raised, which is a step above free range or cage-free hens. Technically, if we never let our hens out beyond our 14’x10’ chicken coop, they would be free range or cage-free birds (which is so much better than the conditions of the factory farm CAFOs [concentrated animal feeding operations] that dominate the Eastern Shore chicken industry).

Our sweet ladies, however, enjoy the life of total freedom. As pasture-raised animals, they are allowed to roam over the entirety of our 34-acre farm each day and are secured in their coop only at night to protect them from predators. It is quite a site to see how they self-protect by going back “home” to roost as the sun goes down each night.

In addition to their delightful eggs, they help us keep our insect population – especially ticks – under better control and love to assist with the composting of our food scraps.

I take great joy in cooking – especially breakfast – and am delighted to share with you here five recipes of my favorite egg dishes that I serve at the farm. Buying and cooking with organic food whenever possible is highly recommended (and even better if you are able to do it by supporting your local farmer’s market!)

In full disclosure, I find it challenging to share recipes since I rarely use them when cooking. Rather, I like to let the food and ingredients speak to me and treat the entire exercise as an artistic endeavor. I never measure – a pinch of this, a dash of that; eyeball how many vegetables to chop. So apologies in advance if you find my version of the “recipe” hard to follow.

Fried Eggs and Tomatoes on Polenta Cakes

Begin by warming a skillet with olive oil and add ½ to ¼ inch thick cut round slices of premade polenta cakes to fry on each side (I like to do 4-5 cakes per serving; browned to desired crispiness. I like mine golden crispy!). In another skillet, add a generous helping of halved cherry tomatoes to olive oil, ground pepper, and salt. Heat the tomato mixture on a high flame until juicy and slightly caramelized. Remove the polenta cakes and put them on a plate (add shredded Gruyere cheese if you’re feeling naughty) and place tomatoes on the cakes. Fry eggs to desired cooking level (I love mine over easy; two eggs per serving) and place on top of tomatoes. Use the reduction sauce to drizzle over the top of the fried eggs.

Brunchos

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large iron skillet, drizzle olive oil and a bed of tortilla chips to cover the entire pan. Over the top of the chips, sprinkle your favorite ingredients to make this breakfast version of nachos. I like to add sautéed bell peppers, black beans, spicy organic chicken sausage, tomatoes, and shredded cheese. Of these ingredients, I cook the bell peppers and the chicken sausage separately before I place them on the tortilla chips. In a separate bowl, whisk your eggs together (add milk if you are a dairy person; I am not). You want to use enough eggs to be able to completely cover the dish. For a large skillet, it will likely be 8-12 eggs. Once you have added the eggs to the dish, place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, checking regularly for when the egg moves from liquid to firm. Finish the dish with some extra cheese on top, under the broiler to make it golden brown. Serve with garnishings of avocado or guacamole, salsa and/or hot sauce, and sour cream or yogurt.

Blueberry Pancakes with Stewed Asian Pears

I begin this dish by first preparing the stewed fruit toping. We have an Asian pear orchard at the farm but you can also use apples. Slice one apple/pear per person into a pot and cover with water. Add pumpkin pie spice and a tablespoon of maple syrup. Cook on medium flame until bringing to a boil and then simmer.

For the pancakes, I use Bob’s Red Mill grains and like the buckwheat, multi-grain, or buttermilk varieties. I mostly follow the directions on the package – one serving (which makes about 4 pancakes) is a cup of grains, one egg, and ¾ cup milk (I use almond). I replace the tablespoon of oil with honey (it’s a more whole food with more nutritional value and gives it a slightly sweeter taste). I also like to add fresh blueberries.

I usually place olive oil in my skillet and turn it on to get warm while I’m mixing ingredients so I have a good, solid pancake from the get-go (they always cook better in a warm skillet). To the finished pancakes, I add butter, stewed fruit, and organic Grade B maple syrup (please don’t ruin your pancakes with those high fructose corn syrup fakers). When I’m able to find it, there is nothing better than some cherry butter to spread on your pancakes as well!

Vegetable Frittata

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dice an array of your favorite vegetables for this initial step. I like to use bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and finely chopped bits of broccoli. In a skillet with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, sauté the peppers and squash and add in the broccoli bits towards the end. In a separate bowl, whisk your eggs together (add milk if you a dairy person; I am not). You want to use enough eggs to be able to completely cover the dish. For a large skillet, it will likely be 8-12 eggs. Once you have added the eggs to the dish, cook on the stove top first for about 5-10 minutes on a medium flame. Add tomatoes (and cheese if you would like) to the top and then place the skillet in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, checking regularly for when the egg moves from liquid to firm. Finish the dish under the broiler to make it golden brown. I often serve this dish with a skillet of homemade hashed brown potatoes and a side of toast with avocado. And of course, hot sauce. Everything at my house gets hot sauce.

Spicy Scrambled Eggs

and Tomatoes with Avocado Toast

This dish is easy but no less delicious. In a skillet with olive oil, add a generous helping of halved cherry tomatoes with ground pepper and salt. Heat the tomato mixture on a high flame until juicy and slightly caramelized. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs (two per person) and your favorite hot sauce (add a little milk to make them fluffy if you like dairy). Add this mixture to your tomatoes and scramble until cooked. Serve with your favorite toast, drizzled in olive oil and with mashed avocado on top. Salt and pepper avocado toast to taste.

In this inaugural episode of MizMaryland: Soul Force Politics, host Heather Mizeur welcomes her friend and spiritual mentor, Grammy and Oscar award-winning rock star, Melissa Etheridge, to engage in a deeply personal and spirit-filled conversation about compassion, justice, mercy, and honorable leadership practices that choose love over fear to express truth and wisdom in the world. Looking for insider celebrity stories? We’ve got that, too! Heather prompts Melissa to peel back the curtain to share the details of several celebrity moments from appearing on stage at the Grammys bald from the effects of chemotherapy during her breast cancer treatments to her experiences meeting Donald Trump before he became President, just to name a few.

Maryland should lead all states in implementing bold new policies to promote national, state, and local community service initiatives.

Our state’s dedication to community service is exemplary. Maryland was the first state in the nation to require service learning hours for high school graduation. Each of our local school jurisdictions have a Service Learning Coordinator to help facilitate matching students with quality service experiences and a dedication to creating a curriculum that honors what they learn in living classrooms. We should build on this reputation by creating a program that continues to foster service learning in higher eduction.

As policy makers debate ways to make community college tuition free, we should take a good look at establishing a state-based community service program that complements Maryland’s work with AmeriCorps, VISTA, Senior Corps, and other programs from the federal Corporation for National and Community Service. Such a state program could link service requirements with a tuition assistance benefit, creating a win-win for students, colleges, and communities alike.

My desire to see Maryland be the best state in the nation for deploying community service initiatives is born of a lifetime of experience participating in service work and seeing the ways in which it bolsters one’s Soul Force.

Service a Theme in 2014 Governor’s Race:

As a result of my experience as a member of the AmeriCorps National Service Program (1994-1998), I hold a very strong belief that national, state, and local service opportunities are critical threads that bind our communities and make our connections to each other stronger.

Soon after I announced my candidacy for Governor, I made sure that we did three things to show we were running a different kind of campaign — we rejected negative campaigning; we refused to poll test our policy ideas; and we said no to corporate donations. But it’s what we said yes to that made me most proud — we launched a series of community service projects to show the state that we could come together to achieve measurable benefits for our communities no matter the outcome of an election. From the very beginning, I wanted to show the ways in which service matters and do my part to inspire others to join me in the serving circle. Marylanders enthusiastically answered the call.

Watch this 2014 campaign video highlighting Heather’s call to service in Maryland

So throughout the campaign, we deployed the enthusiasm of our supporters to assist with projects all across the state that ranged from building homes for low-income people in Frederick; cleaning up trash from the wetlands at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Talbot; reading to after school programs and creating community gardens in Baltimore; to repainting playgrounds at Montgomery County schools, hallways in Baltimore City Schools, and delivering meals at soup kitchens in Worcester and Howard Counties, just to name a few. This legacy of service outlasts the temporary lifespan of a political campaign.

I also learned about the depth of Maryland’s inspiration to serve.

My Vision:

We have a culture of service in Maryland, so it should come as little surprise that every year we have more applications for AmeriCorps positions than funding to fill them. We should be working to meet that demand, not turn it away. We can replicate the federal model with a complimentary state program. By creating a state-based community service initiative called, “Benefit Maryland,” which would provide tuition free community college benefits to any students enrolled in the program, we could simultaneously match all the existing interest in service to worthwhile programs while also giving Maryland a leg up in competitive federal grant funding.

Money that is granted from the federal Corporation for National and Community Service for state partnered projects is given on a competitive basis. If Benefit Maryland were created, the additional resources dedicated to state service initiatives would help us leverage more federal service dollars as well.

As discussions about creating tuition free community college benefits are catching fire, it makes sense for policymakers to incorporate ideas to create a state-based service program as a “carrot and stick” model for best practices on how to structure such policies.

Maryland should also consider elevating the Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism to a cabinet-level post to oversee and coordinate the Benefit Maryland program along with the existing national and local service initiatives it currently manages. By increasing the authority and budget for this office, our state can further expand its collaborations with existing non-profit activities and help fill the gaps where service hours are needed.

But just as we did not wait to win an election in 2014 to start making an immediate difference in our communities with our lending hands…you, too, do not have to wait for Benefit Maryland to come to life before you make a commitment to serve your community. Looking for local volunteer opportunities? Visit the list of Maryland Volunteer Centers to match your interests, skills, and talents with your local needs.

What’s Next?

Whether or not Maryland gets bold and innovative with efforts to launch tuition free community college initiatives and explores linking that benefit with a new state-based community service program is largely up to you. If you want it, make it happen. Talk to your local elected officials about these ideas. Make a commitment to volunteer more of your time and talent in your community. Take to your social media accounts and share this blog and your ideas on how best to #BenefitMaryland with your service.

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A NOTE FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

For those interested in knowing more about my own history of community service, I offer this snapshot with a really fun story about how the connections we make to others while serving can make a huge difference in all of our lives.

Catholic Roots:

As a young Catholic girl, I connected deeply with my faith’s social justice teachings of housing the homeless, feeding the hungry, healing the sick. When I went to college, I spent all of my free time engaging in service learning opportunities. I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, served at the local soup kitchen, spent my Spring breaks repairing homes in the Appalachians and my Winter breaks in Mexico building water cisterns for poor villages deep in the Yucatan jungle. Every volunteer experience solidified countless teachings on how selfless service can almost feel selfish because I would ultimately receive so much more than I could ever possibly give in these exchanges. That is where I would experience the rich beauty and magic in our world — that connecting to each other and giving is an act of receiving as well. It’s an infinite circle.

A History of National Service:

So it made perfect sense that I would be inspired to join President Clinton’s inaugural Americorps Class.

President Clinton honors Heather at the Blue Room in the White House for Outstanding Service in the AmeriCorps program

While I was a young legislative staffer on Capitol Hill, I answered the call to join the AmeriCorps national service program, volunteering my evenings and weekends as a part-time member for four years. My project assignment was to work with a local chapter of the “I Have a Dream” Foundation (IHAD) in Southeast Washington, DC. IHAD is a high school drop-out prevention program for at-risk youth. The students in an entire classroom are “adopted” by a group that pledges their support with academic and other service learning opportunities that will encourage the students to remain in school with the promise that, once they graduate, their college tuition will be paid for through the program. My students were in the eighth grade when I was matched to their program through AmeriCorps. They had been adopted by their IHAD sponsors when they were in the third grade. But it was “go time” when I arrived, as we were at a critical juncture to help them navigate and complete their high school education so they would be able to move on to their college dreams.

I spent every weekend tutoring and mentoring these amazing kids. I was also their community service project coordinator and would devise service projects they could participate in to receive academic credit for their school’s requirements that they perform a certain number of service hours to qualify for graduation. In the beginning, it was a hard sell. The students were joining in on the projects only because they felt they had to in order to graduate. Some only came because I promised to feed them during the event. But through our work repainting a mural at Frederick Douglass’ home, or revamping the local Boys and Girls clubs, or picking up trash along the Potomac, I would start to slowly see a shift in how the students were relating to each other, their work, and the communities benefitting from their service. I would even hear someone proclaim, fairly regularly, something to the effect of, “Miss Heather, I thought I hated doing this but you know, I’ve started to really look forward to it now. ” Service works. It’s heart balm for all the weary souls who are not even aware that they yearn for meaningful connections and an ability to give in the world.

George’s Story:

One of my favorite stories from my AmeriCorps service that shows the circle of benefit, is the story of George Smith. George was a student with big dreams and a giant heart to match. He came to tutoring lessons each week with a serious earnestness to learn from his education and live up to his hopes of becoming an engineer. He participated in our service projects and I got to know him very well. This allowed me to become his supreme advocate when his college entrance hopes were dashed by a rejection letter from Morgan State University. He came to tutoring one Saturday deeply frustrated with the rejection letter in hand. I told him that not every decision like this is allowed to stand — that we could advocate for a different outcome. I wrote a letter to the head of admissions at the college, highlighting my personal experience as George’s academic tutor for four years — how dedicated he was to his education; that I knew he has what it takes to be a successful college student and a future engineer; that he had shared of himself with his community regularly through service initiatives that gave him additional skills to share on campus. After the letter was received, I made phone calls. Many of them. Until I reached the Dean of Admissions. I reminded her that scores on academic aptitude tests were not able to measure a student’s drive, motivation, and willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed. I pressed on her that my experience with George was a better and more consistent measure and that they would be making a grave mistake if they did not make sure this shining star would be an alum of their institution.

A few days later, I received a call on my private line at work late at night. I happened to still be at my desk. The voice on the other end was hysterically excited:

Today, George Smith is a senior network engineer for the IT system at the federal State Department! He recently found me on Facebook and said, “I’m so happy you had the guts to speak and write on my behalf. That program changed the entire course of my life.” Tears of joy flooded me once again. While this program, and my one act of courage on his behalf, certainly did change George’s life for the better, the impact it had on my life was immeasurable as well. Tiny acts of courage add up to taking even bigger risks. My AmeriCorps training inspired me to eventually run for public office, where I served a term on the Takoma Park City Council and two four-year terms as a member of the Maryland General Assembly before running for Governor in the 2014 Democratic Primary.